Stepping Through the Gates
by KriegDiadem
Summary: The girls go on a road trip.  Sequel to They Stand at the Gates of Repose.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Well, here it is! No promises on how often it will be updated.

**Prologue**

The first university term had been hard on Usagi. The workload ratcheted up dramatically from her high school days. It felt like she was studying for final exams all the time, and there was always some major project due. Now most of her dates with Mamoru were study dates, where they would go to a library, sit on opposite sides of a table, and focus on their books instead of each other. Still, having him present made the time go by a little more easily, and surprisingly, made it a little easier for her to focus.

But now the first term was over, and summer vacation had started. It was early August, and she wouldn't even have to think about school again until late September, so she could lay back and relax and let her mind wander.

So that was exactly what she was doing. She lay on Mamoru's chest, staring at the ceiling, listening to the sounds of their breathing and the crinkling of the pages as Mamoru flipped through the course catalogue, already trying to chart his path for the next year.

"Mamo-chan," she said, and waited expectantly until she heard him softly grunt, indicating that he was listening to her, if a little absentmindedly. "I think the girls and I should do something to celebrate getting through our first term of post-secondary education."

"Like what?" he asked. He closed the course catalogue and put it on the small table at the end of the couch.

"Like a road trip. We've got only a few more years of being responsibility-free, after all."

"Hmm, that's true." He idly played with some of her hair. She smiled up at him.

"I think you should come with us."

His fingers stopped moving. "Usako…I don't think I can. I've got to focus on school." He was aiming to be in the top ten students in his class, but somehow he always ended up as number eleven. "Anyway, having a girls-only trip might be fun."

"Mamo-chan…please come with us?"

He looked down. She batted her eyelashes. He sighed.

* * *

><p><em>Ding-dong!<em>

Mamoru and Usagi stood at the entrance of the Aino household, figuring that Minako would be easy to convince. She swung the door open a moment later, her gaze quickly scanning their faces. She smiled.

"Whatever it is, I'm in."

"Road trip," Mamoru said.

"When are we leaving?"

"Tomorrow."

"Where are we going?"

Usagi and Mamoru exchanged a glance. It telegraphed to Minako that they were hoping one of their friends would figure it out. Minako's smile grew even larger.

_Ding-dong!_

After a few moments Makoto swung the door open. She was clad in an apron and covered with flour.

She looked at them oddly. "Why didn't you just come in?" All her friends had keys to her apartment, and her open-door policy was longstanding.

"We didn't want to _interrupt_ anything," Minako said, her insinuation clear as she poked her head into the apartment and looked around.

Makoto blushed bright red. "No…um, we don't-"

Mamoru gave Minako a stern look. "Stop embarrassing the poor girl. Makoto-san, what do you think of a road trip?"

_Ding-dong!_

Ami's mother answered the door and quickly ushered the group in, seating them at the kitchen table and rapidly laying out biscuits and tea.

"How lovely to see you all! It's so rare that I get a chance to talk to Ami's friends, dear me. Please, tell me all about your lives! How's school? How are your families? None of you are getting into any trouble, are you? No drugs, no dropping out, no fights, no pregnancies? Any new boyfriends on the horizon? Say, you wouldn't happen to know if Ami's got her eye on someone or anything? That girl-"

"Everything is going well with all of us, thank you, Mizuno-san," Mamoru said smoothly, after seeing the overwhelmed expressions on the girls' faces. "And it is lovely to see you as well. You are looking even more beautiful than the last time I was fortunate enough to see you."

She blushed. Usagi kicked Mamoru's shin under the table. Mamoru kept a poker face. "Is Ami-san around?"

"Oh, yes! Ami, dear, your friends are here!" She stood up and made left the kitchen. Ami appeared a moment later.

Ami greeted her friends and took a seat at the table before letting her eyes meet Makoto's. Immediately the two girls broke into soft smiles and light blushes, gazes unwavering even when Minako snapped her fingers in front of Ami's eyes.

It took five snaps before Ami jumped a bit in her chair. "Um, yes! What is it?"

"We're going on a road trip."

"Are we?" Ami asked, turning her gaze to Makoto. Makoto nodded. "I guess we are."

_Knock-knock!_

The door slid open. Rei looked at the group standing in front of her door for a few moments before focusing on Ami. Ami proved unable to maintain eye contact.

This told Rei enough. "No," she said, sliding the door closed. Minako stuck her foot in and barreled past her, the rest following.

"We're going on a road trip!" she said, clapping excitedly.

"_You_ are going on a road trip," Rei replied.

"Come on! You're the one with the van."

She had recently inherited her grandfather's beat-up Dodge minivan and had regretted it ever since.

"Nope. There's no way I'm leaving grandpa here at the temple with only that dope to help him." At this she vaguely gestured outside, where Yuuichirou chose that exact moment to trip over his feet and send the box of charms he was holding flying out of his hands, the papers getting carried away by the wind.

But her efforts to get out of the trip were fruitless. Her grandfather burst into the conversation, seemingly from nowhere. "A road trip sounds like a great idea, Rei! If you haven't picked a location yet, how about borrowing your Uncle's lake house in Kagoshima?"

Rei's eyes bulged out. "Kagoshima! That's like twenty hours away! No, absolutely not." She imagined being confined for twenty hours with two over-excited blondes and one sickeningly cute couple. Not even Mamoru could be a saving grace. She felt a headache coming on.

"Are you kidding me?" Usagi exclaimed, jumping up and down in place. "It's perfect! Thank you so much!"

Rei sighed.


	2. The Beginning

AN: This fic is basically going to be jokes and sexytimes and probably a little action. (Like, fighting action. But also the other type.) Hope nobody came here looking for substance or plot! Rated M for all of the preceding, along with coarse language.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER ONE: THE BEGINNING<strong>

That's usually when the story ends.

The prince and the princess get together and ride off into the sunset. Then the screen goes black and fancy white letters appear: THE END. Or if they're trying to be fancier, they might opt for a foreign language: FIN.

Either way, it means the same thing. It's all over. Why are you even still watching? Go home. Nobody watches the credits, unless they have really cute animations next to them, or something.

Which is why Makoto didn't really think about what was going to happen _after_. After they rode off into the sunset. After they became official.

What did people do after? Well, they got married. Makoto felt her heart thudding. Maybe that was thinking too far ahead. What did people do before they got married but after they started dating? They went on dates.

That seemed nice.

So they went on dates. They went to high-class restaurants. They went to dingy, locals-only restaurants. They went to movies, plays, concerts. They went skating, bowling, played laser tag.

Makoto had a lot of fun. Makoto's abs hurt from laughing too much. She thought probably no one was as happy as she was. She thought that she'd be perfectly happy if she could just go on dates with Ami forever. Makoto felt her heart thudding yet again. Forever was a long, long, time.

But though Makoto felt perfectly happy, she felt like she was missing something. Like an important part of the whole dating thing was eluding her.

The answer came rushing up to her the first day of summer, when they had all ditched school to go to the beach. Because it was hot, and the sun was shining brightly, and because they could.

On the first day of summer the beach was of course filled to the brim. They struggled to find a spot for their umbrellas, seats, and blankets. Eventually they coerced some boys into creating space for them. They laid their things out. Mamoru pulled off his shirt and lay on a blanket. Rei pulled off her clothes to reveal a one-piece. She stretched out onto a lounge chair. Minako pulled off her clothes to reveal a scandalous bikini that contrasted with Usagi's conservative tankini. Then they rushed off into the waves.

This was all very par for the course. Makoto pulled off her clothes, her own bathing suit similar to Minako's.

Then Ami started stripping. She started telling Makoto about how Minako had taken her shopping, and Minako had insisted that Ami could not use the bathing suit that she used for swim meets. She told Makoto that they had gone to ten different swimsuit specialty stores – who even knew that there were that many in that one mall? – and she couldn't find anything she liked, and finally Minako pretty much forced her to buy this thing that could hardly be classified as clothing, and maybe it was a little – okay, a lot – different than what she usually wore, but maybe she'd stop getting mistaken for a high school girl – even though yes, it wasn't that long ago that she had graduated from high school, so they weren't that far off – but anyway…

Makoto had long stopped listening.

She was far too focused on looking.

Or _trying_ to look, anyway, but it was like she could never see enough, and one moment her gaze would settle on the slope of Ami's chest, and the next on her strong shoulders, totally bared by the halter top, and the next moment her eyes would be drawn to Ami's flat stomach and the hipbones jutting out underneath the bikini bottom's waistband, and then she'd catch sight of smooth thighs, which lead upwards to-

Oh.

It wasn't like Makoto had _forgotten_ about it, exactly. It was more like she had gently shunted those kinds of thoughts aside. Okay, it was more like she had determinedly ignored such thoughts whenever they insisted on popping up in her head, which they did with astonishing frequency.

But now she found that she could no longer ignore them.

After that, dates got very interesting. She suddenly started stuttering at the most inopportune of times. Going shopping for new clothes got especially hard, especially when Ami asked her questions like – "Mako, do you think these shorts are _too_ short?" – and Makoto could hardly spit out an answer – "Definitely not", always.

Finally, Ami was forced to confront her – "Makoto, you've been acting somewhat strange lately. Is anything wrong?"

"No," Makoto replied, stretching out the syllable as she cast about for a reasonable explanation. "I've just been a little distracted." Well, that was true, so Makoto felt guilt-free as she continued, "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

"Okay." Ami's facial expression did not match her acquiescence, but she let it go. Makoto made a special effort to act like a normal human being and succeeded admirably for a while.

Until Usagi and Minako – she was sure Mamoru was an unwitting party – roped her into a road trip.

"Makoto-san, what do you think of a road trip?" Mamoru asked, and he asked so neutrally that Makoto felt, for a moment, like she actually had a choice.

"Mako-chan, please come with us!" Minako turned her big blue eyes on her. Makoto bit her lip. A vacation _would_ be nice…

"Please!" Usagi turned her own pair of baby blues on her, and then Makoto knew that she never really had a choice in the first place.

* * *

><p><em>DAY ONE<em>

It was too late by the time Makoto realized that she had not thought this through too well.

The 'road' part of the road trip had been as painful as Makoto had expected. Rei had insisted on setting out early in the morning, at 6 AM, and of course they did not actually make it out of Rei's driveway until 8 AM. Usagi and Rei then spent the whole time bickering, mostly about directions. When Ami finally declared herself sole navigator from now until the end of time, Minako and Usagi had launched into stupid car games that annoyed Rei so much that Makoto was tempted to join in – but Ami shot her a look filled with such misery that Makoto stayed quiet, leaving the two girls to their games. Instead, she silently stared out the window and watched the uninteresting landscape pass by.

Once she caught sight of Mount Fuji, and she excitedly pointed it out to the others. They ooh-ed and aah-ed appropriately and it gave them about half an hour of respite before the games and bickering started again.

And finally, finally, they reached Kyoto, their first scheduled stop on the way to Kagoshima.

It was still early in the evening when they reached the city. They agreed to check in to a hotel and then hit the town.

This was the part that Makoto had not thought through.

They walked into the cheapest hotel they could find that didn't also look like the headquarters for a crack dealer. The clerk looked up from his desk when they arrived, scanned their large group, and then intoned: "One- or two-person occupancy rooms only".

"We'll take three rooms for two nights," Mamoru said, sliding his credit card onto the counter. He waved away Ami and Rei's attempts to proffer their own cards.

The two nights thing, Makoto easily understood. They were in Kyoto! They had to spend at least a full day here, seeing the sights, experiencing the cities, listening to people speaking Kansai.

The three rooms things took a little longer for Makoto to grasp. Because though she sucked at math, she was fairly sure she didn't suck so hard that she couldn't divide six by three.

And it always equaled two.

And from the way Usagi grabbed Mamoru's hands and dragged him towards the elevator, and the way Rei and Minako had linked arms together and were giggling about something or another as they followed after Usagi and Mamoru, one thing became very clear to Makoto.

She was going to be rooming with Ami.

Alone. Her and Ami, alone, for one whole night, rooming together. In a room with a door, a door that presumably locked.

She barely had the chance to process this because she, too, was being dragged away by Ami. They got into the elevator just before the doors slammed closed, the six crammed into a tiny metal box.

Makoto felt a little claustrophobic. Everyone else seemed fine. Makoto felt something sharp dig into her ribs. It was Ami's elbow. Ami was smiling up at her and saying something. Makoto smiled back and nodded vaguely, hoping she wasn't missing anything important.

Then they were in their room and Ami pushed their single beds together and apparently that is what she had agreed to in the elevator.

Oops.

"Mako-chan…have you been listening at all? To anything? For the past half hour or so?" Ami ventured. Makoto bit her lip and sheepishly scratched the back of her head. Ami smiled and shook her head. "Minako has some fake IDs made up for us…for some reason. I guess she just had them lying around before the trip. Anyway, we're going to go dancing."

"Why do we need fake IDs to go dancing?"

"Minako says we can't go dancing without drinking," Ami recited primly, "Although I, of course, will not be imbibing. Someone needs to remain sober-minded."

"Right, of course," Makoto nodded, then she turned to consider the contents of her suitcase, various items already sprawled out on her bed. She pulled out a black silk dress, a curling iron, and her makeup kit. For her part Ami pulled out a sparkling silver dress.

No sooner had she pulled the dress out then Rei and Minako burst into their rooms.

"You guys," Minako whined, "Dates can't get ready together! Come on." She grabbed Ami and dragged her out of the room.

"What just happened?" Makoto asked, frozen in place, having just watched her girlfriend get abducted.

"She's right, though!" Rei said. "If you watch each other get glammed up it kills the mystery! Get cracking, Mako-chan, we're meeting the others there in an hour."

* * *

><p>An hour later, Makoto found herself in a very dimly-lit club.<p>

The atmosphere was overwhelming, but there were a few things that registered firmly in Makoto's mind.

There were a lot of sweaty bodies pressed closely together, dancing to the bass-heavy, thumping music that was pouring from the speakers.

The lyrics to the music made no sense, and the one shot of tequila she had had was already making her head feel fuzzier.

Her precious girlfriend and freaking Minako were late.

"Maybe they got lost," Usagi suggested. Makoto shot her an _as if_ look.

"Maybe they took long to get ready," Mamoru hazarded. This seemed reasonable enough to him, since Usagi often took a long time to get ready for anything, but all three girls standing with him shot him an _as if_ look.

"Please, Mamoru-san. Minako's a pro," Rei said. "Maybe they're standing just inside the entrance, getting hit on."

Makoto looked towards where Rei's gaze rested to find that Rei's words described the scene with perfect accuracy. There were Ami and Minako, standing just inside the entrance…

Getting hit on.

By two guys who looked like total douches.

Their button-down shirts were open to halfway down their chests, exposing smooth, waxed skin and several gold chains. Their porcelain veneers gleamed in the darkness. Both men had dyed their hair blond and their hairstyles were arranged _just so_, held together with a bit of pomade and a lot of ego.

It was all gratingly offensive and Makoto took a step forwards to shut it all down.

Rei lay a hand on her arm.

"I think the jealous girlfriend thing can be nice," she said, shrugging, "Or at least the guys in manga always seem flattered by it. But, uh, violence? It could lead to arrest."

Makoto scoffed. "I wasn't going to be violent!"

"I know, but I mean, at least don't be too hard on them. You can't blame them for trying."

Makoto thought that yes, she could blame them for trying, but she kept it to herself as Rei let her go and she again began to move towards Ami, Minako and the douches. She quickly pushed her way through the crowd and as soon as she arrived at her destination she wrapped her arms around Ami's shoulders.

"Who are these guys?" she asked, as nicely as possible. Ami turned around and smiled.

"I don't know," Ami answered, as Makoto glared at the men, "But they say they've got tickets to a really underground band playing tonight," –the men cringed and silently removed themselves from the scene – "Wouldn't it be nice to take in some of Kyoto's music scene? They – where did they go?"

Makoto couldn't hide her smirk, even with Minako standing beside her and laughing.

"How impolite of them to leave without bidding us farewell!" Ami said, her lips pursing in disapproval, "Although I suppose they could have had a good reason. Oh, Mako-chan, you look really nice," she finished.

"You look beautiful." Makoto couldn't help it as she very unsubtly checked the other girl out. She surprised herself as what drew her attention most was the dramatic makeup on Ami's eyes, the thick eyeliner and mascara creating a look that she'd call –

Smoldering.

"Let's dance," she blurted out.

"Drinks first!" Minako said, surprising Makoto by her presence. She had completely forgotten that the other girl was even there.

"Minako-chan…" But the warning tone in Ami's voice was promptly ignored as Minako cajoled Ami into trying just one drink. Ami clearly thought that if she gave in once, maybe Minako would leave her alone, so she finally agreed.

Minako clapped her hands together. "Excellent! Excuse me – one Long Island Iced Tea, please! Make it extra long, thanks. Trust me, Ami-chan. You're going to love this."

Makoto hardly thought she needed to warn Ami that "trust me" were famous last words, but she should have known better. Ami gulped down the drink in an alarmingly short amount of time.

"Wow, that was delicious! I could hardly even taste the alcohol!"

"Uh, Ami, about that…"

But before she had a chance to finish, Minako had returned with another Long Island Iced Tea and an armful of shots. Ami grabbed the Long Island. Minako thrust two shots into Makoto's hands and kept two for herself.

"Bottoms up, Mako-chan!" she said, and she downed the two shots in quick succession, wincing as the liquid scorched her throat.

Makoto considered the situation carefully. Ami clearly liked the taste of that drink Minako had ordered. Everything would be fine as long as she kept a careful eye on her. She would just take these two shots, and that would be it for her.

* * *

><p>To her own surprise, she had actually stopped after those two shots that Minako gave her.<p>

But since she drank so rarely – which was to say, never – her mind still felt somewhat muddled.

Still, she was comparatively sober. Not compared to Rei and Mamoru, who had not touched a drink the whole time. No. But Makoto thought she was doing well compared to, for example, Minako and Usagi, who were currently on stage screeching out some manufactured boyband hit.

And she was doing really well compared to the girl she was holding up in her arms. Ami had most decidedly _not_ stopped at two Long Islands. She had taken to downing drinks at an alarming speed and Minako had kept on providing them until she had taken over the stage with Usagi.

"Alcohol tends to decrease inhibition and lessen the ability to make good decisions," Ami said suddenly. She stared intently into Makoto's eyes, and Makoto took a moment to realize that Ami was expecting a response.

"Uh, yeah, I've heard that," she replied. Ami seemed pleased with this answer. She closed her eyes and laid her head against the taller girl's chest, her arms wrapped around Makoto's back.

They weren't dancing so much as they were standing in place and swaying. This had not met with Minako's approval but it was good enough for Makoto. Makoto closed her eyes in turn and took a deep breath. Ami must have used the hotel shampoo, a vanilla scent replacing her usual lavender.

"Let's get out of here," Ami mumbled, her eyes still closed. Makoto nodded, but quickly realized that Ami wouldn't be able to see her.

"Okay. Where should we go?"

"Anywhere that's not here." Ami leaned back, opened her eyes, and looked around her. She seemed displeased by something. Makoto was curious to know what had annoyed her, but she could ask later. Now was the time for action. She took of Ami's hand and navigated their way out of the club and into the night air.

It was a warm, humid night. Makoto self-consciously ran a hand through her wavy hair that she could never quite tame on these types of summer nights. But Ami had no time for self-consciousness. She dragged Makoto away from the club, walking with what seemed to be great purpose.

They arrived at a street corner and Ami suddenly stopped.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"I was hoping you knew that," Makoto replied, shrugging. "We can hang out at that park over there?"

It was a small park, and at this time of night it was devoid of people. They lied down on a grassy slope and stared up at the sky. Kyoto was a big city in its own right, but it was smaller than Tokyo by far, and here they could see more stars than they could in their hometown.

Ami started naming constellations. Makoto kept her hand entwined with Ami's and let her girlfriend's voice wash over her. She paid attention, and tried to absorb at least some of the information, but she knew it was mostly in vain.

That was fine.

Ami eventually trailed off. The pair lay in silence. The only sounds they could hear were that of engines from the cars that occasionally passed by on the street, and more frequently, sounds of wildlife.

"Why did you want to get out of there?" Makoto finally asked.

Ami gripped Makoto's hand tighter. "Because people were looking at us. And not in a good way." She sighed. "Maybe we're in the conservative part of Kyoto."

"_Or_," Makoto said, "They were glaring at me because I got to dance with someone as hot as you."

Ami laughed, the sound ringing through the still air. Makoto's lips curled up into a smug grin.

"I think I might be drunk," Ami said. "I feel like my inhibitions are lowered."

"I couldn't really tell. Well, I can tell you're drunk, but more from the whole glassy eyes and stumbling feet thing than the inhibitions thing."

"Really?" Ami's tone had turned suddenly sly and had Makoto been thinking more clearly she could probably have predicted Ami's next move.

But she was tipsy and so she was utterly surprised when Ami rolled over, until she ended up laying directly on top of Makoto.

"Um-"

Makoto's confused stutter was cut off as Ami dipped her head to capture Makoto's lips with her own. Ami slid her hand up Makoto's stomach, causing the other girl to arch her back upwards and gasp lightly. Their kiss deepened, their tongues meeting, until Ami broke it off to slide her lips lower, licking and nibbling at Makoto's neck. Makoto shuddered and wrapped her arms around Ami, her right hand gripping the zipper of Ami's dress. She slowly pulled it downwards, her other hand following the trail to feel smooth, hot skin.

She stopped, the zipper midway down.

"Wait," she gasped, but Ami kept travelling further down, her lips now trailing over Makoto's collarbones. "Stop. Seriously."

At this, Ami instantly stilled. After a moment's silence she drew back.

"What's wrong?"

"You said that 'alcohol decreases inhibitions', but there was another thing." Makoto frowned, trying to remember the rest of Ami's sentence.

Ami, of course, remembered it. "Decreases inhibitions and lessens the ability to make good decisions."

"Exactly." Words were so hard to come by, half-drunk on alcohol and love as she was at the moment, but Makoto forged on. "We shouldn't do this right now."

Ami remained silent while Makoto pulled herself into a sitting position. They stared at each other, a blush rapidly rising up Ami's neck and coloring her cheeks.

"Sorry. I was too forward-"

"No, it's fine, it's just-"

And then a shriek ripped through the air, followed by –

"Help! Help, someone help! Please, anyone!"

Before she even realized what she was doing, Ami had turned into Sailor Mercury.

Makoto was only mildly surprised. There was no way, of course, that they could ignore such a plea. She quickly followed suit, and very soon Sailors Mercury and Jupiter were running towards the voice.

It seemed that transformation had a sobering effect. Makoto felt her vision focus almost too sharply. She found her footing firm and her sense of direction unerring. She felt a mild headache coming on. There was, she supposed, no avoiding hangovers.

They arrived very quickly to find a girl sitting on the sidewalk. She was desperately wiping at her eyes with a tissue, but the tears just kept falling. Her face was scrunched up and had turned a rather unattractive shade of red.

She looked up when the two Senshi stopped in front of her. Her eyes were bloodshot, and Sailor Jupiter decided that something truly terrible must have happened. She dropped to her knees in front of the girl.

"What happened?"

"S-Sailor Jupiter?"

"In the flesh! Now, sweetie, tell us – what happened?"

"I-my parents went out of town for a week and they said I was old enough to take care of Neko-chan by myself so I took him for a walk but then I looked away for just a second and now he's gone!"

"Don't worry. We'll find him," she said, ignoring Sailor Mercury's disbelieving look. She stood up and pulled Sailor Mercury aside a few feet away from the girl.

"I know," Sailor Jupiter said, "I can't believe somebody would name their cat Neko-chan either."

"What? No, that's not the problem!"

"Oh…yeah, I was wondering why anyone would walk their cat at all, let alone at 1 in the morning, but I think the poor girl just forgot until now."

"No! Sailor Jupiter-"

"Or, who would even leave their ten-year-old alone for a week? Even my legal guardian waited until I turned thirteen."

"Sailor Jupiter! _The problem_ is that we have just promised a girl that we're going to find her lost cat. In a huge city that we're not at all familiar with."

"Oh. Well, yeah, maybe not a shining moment of brilliance," Sailor Jupiter admitted, "But we've got to at least try."

Sailor Mercury could hardly argue with that.

* * *

><p>It was already six AM by the time they had found the cat and returned it to the girl's home. Makoto and Ami returned to the hotel and, exhausted, fell asleep as soon as they made it to their beds.<p>

_DAY TWO_

Three hours later Makoto awoke with a jolt as she heard her hotel room door slam open against the wall. Minako and Rei burst into the room. Before Makoto had a chance to comment about what a bad habit it was to enter someone else's room without knocking, she was hit in the face with a newspaper.

"Good morning," Minako said, flopping onto the bed, "Nice to see you two looking like hot messes. Where the hell were you girls yesterday? Read that."

Makoto rubbed her eyes before realizing that neither she nor Ami had bothered to take their makeup off yesterday. Her complexion would suffer for it, she thought, looking at the black mascara smudges that now adorned her hands.

"And now you look like you got punched in both eyes," Rei commented, taking a seat beside Minako. Makoto sighed and picked up the newspaper that was now lying beside her head.

"Why did you even buy an actual, physical newspaper? We have these things called smartphones," Rei said.

"I bought it for dramatic impact."

"Aino Minako, that's so stupid-"

Ami had made it into the land of wakefulness and grabbed the newspaper out of Makoto's hands, lifting it over their heads so they could both read it.

SAILOR MERCURY AND SAILOR JUPITER SPOTTED

_Sailor Mercury and Sailor Jupiter are back in action. Could the other Senshi follow soon?_

_It seems that two Salior soldiers have made Kyoto their new home base. While Sailor Venus and Sailor Saturn are known to be active in Tokyo, the other Senshi have not been sighted for months now. After a long holiday, it's time for the soldiers to return. Experts predict that Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars will make their home base in Yokohama, while Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune will settle in Sapporo. The always-mysterious Sailor Pluto and Tuxedo Kamen, of course, would never settle in just one place!_

"Experts?" Ami asked, frowning.

"Why would you ever make a home base in Yokohama?" Makoto asked.

Rei grabbed the newspaper out of Ami's hands and smacked Makoto's shoulder with it. "That's not the point! Why were you two 'spotted' in Kyoto? Are you really going back in action?"

"We had to save a cat," Makoto explained.

"Well it's about time! You can join me and Hotaru. It's so much fun. Trust me, there's nothing quite like punching a would-be mugger in the face."

"I like the idea," Ami said, shrugging. "We can put our powers to more productive uses than just 'fight club'. What do you think, Mako?"

"I think we're on vacation and we should think about it and decide when we get back to Tokyo," she replied. "'Fight club' is a little different than 'fight criminals club'."

Ami shrugged and rolled out of bed. Minako and Rei stood up and exited the room after making some sort of brunch plans with Ami.

Makoto ignored the chatter and continued to stare at the ceiling.

She had to admit that the more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea.

_Sailors Mercury and Jupiter, back in action_.

* * *

><p>AN: Experts? I think in a world where the Sailor Senshi existed there would be a whole academic field devoted to their study. <em>Journal of Sailor Senshi Studies.<em>

Thank you **Neanda, Galapagos Penguin, Gear001, CreativeThinker10, Lady Noel, Dark Yellow Dino, **and **Juuhachi-Love**! This chapter was a very long time coming due to writer's block but your reviews made me force myself to overcome it!


	3. Metals

AN: I can't believe I haven't updated this since May! I said this fic would have action and sexytimes but I also forgot to mention it would be unbearably fluffy. Happy belated Valentine's Day, everyone!

**CHAPTER TWO: METALS**

_DAY TWO, CONTINUED_

"What?" Makoto asked for the seventh time. She had apparently passed out while they took a break on a park bench and when she woke up, everyone but Usagi had left.

The constant sleep deprivation was the number one thing Makoto did not miss about their Sailor Senshi days. Nowadays she was so used to getting seven hours of sleep a day, just like her trainer recommended. Functioning on three hours felt like trying to carry a panda up a mountain.

"I said, Rei said there's a seer nearby renowned for her love fortunes." Usagi clapped her hands. "Let's go!"

Makoto shook her head. "I'm not falling for that, Usagi-chan. No way does Rei trust somebody who's 'renowned for her love fortunes'."

"Come on, please!" She grabbed Makoto's hands and clasped them tightly.

"But you already know your love fortune," she said slowly. "You and Mamoru are a great couple who are destined to be together forever." She narrowed her eyes when she caught Usagi's beaming smile. "You just like hearing people say that, don't you."

"Let's go!"

Before she could even ask where the others had gone, she was pulled off the park bench and dragged toward a wooden shack squeezed in an alley between two buildings. This was definitely an illegal structure, Makoto thought, as Usagi ushered her through the set of curtains that were meant to serve as the world's shabbiest front door. She critically eyed the lurid color and frayed edges and felt her already-small amount of faith in this seer seep away.

"Come in, my children!"

A voice from behind another set of curtains called out to them. They entered the next area to find a middle-aged woman swathed in silk scarves and clad in a loose black robe. She sat behind a plain wooden table. On the table stood a saucer filled with water, a spoon, several small pieces of metal, and a candle.

"Greetings. I am honored that you have chosen my little shop as a destination when you have travelled such a long way."

They weren't that far away from Tokyo, Makoto thought. She grit her teeth when she noticed Usagi's eyes widen. Her friend was falling for her tricks and Makoto already knew there was little she could say to convince her it was all a fraud.

"Who would like to go first?"

Usagi's hand shot up. She grabbed the seat facing the woman and eagerly held out her hands, palms spread upwards. The woman shook her head.

"My divining method is a little different than most," she said.

Usagi pointed at the candle. "Fire reading? I have a friend who does that."

"Not quite. What I do is molybdomancy." She handed the spoon over to Usagi. "Choose a piece of metal, young one, then hold the spoon over the flame and wait for the lead to melt."

To Makoto's utter lack of surprise Usagi chose the piece of metal shaped like a rabbit. The woman struck a match to light the candle and they waited patiently until the metal had melted.

"This saucer is filled with cold water. Pour the molted lead in." Usagi carefully moved the spoon until the bowl hovered over the saucer. She promptly flipped the spoon over and the metal landed in the water with a tiny splash.

"Geez, she said _pour_ the metal, Usagi-chan, not throw it in there."

The woman smiled. "Your friend's method of pouring is all part of the divination process," she said. She pulled the now hardened metal out of the water and stared at it, her gaze tracing the shape of it.

"You have a very old soul. It seems that your spirit has lived for a very long time, despite your young age, and you have seen more than any one person should. You have kept a loving and open heart in spite of this. If you have ever wondered why your friends are so dedicated to you, there is your answer."

Usagi gasped. The woman leaned back and suddenly took on a grim demeanor.

"However, on to the important part. Romance. You believe you have been extremely lucky in love so far, far more than anyone deserves to be. And you are correct. Your own luck has taken away from the luck of others and it is time for the universe to regain its balance. Prepare yourself to suffer great heartbreak in the near future."

"What?" Usagi shrieked.

"Sorry. Next!"

Makoto hesitated, but Usagi's hands heavy on her shoulders steered her toward the chair she had just been occupying. She took the spoon proffered by the fortuneteller. There were no thunderbolt shapes so she picked the bit of metal that looked like a raindrop. She slowly poured the molten lead into the water. The silver glint of the liquid metal felt oddly eerie as it slipped from the bowl and hissed as it hit the water.

Nervously she looked up at the fortuneteller and what she saw did nothing to stave away the feeling of dread. The woman looked stricken. She took the piece of metal out of the bowl and shook her head.

"You have always been alone. People have always left you at the most critical times and you now find yourself very independent but, at the same time, deeply dependent. You make a very good friend, as you treasure the things that are yours."

Makoto tried to keep her face neutral. She was clearly failing; in her peripheral vision she noticed Usagi's concerned look.

"Perhaps you treasure them a little too much. You feel like your luck in love is looking up, and you are correct. However, the universe naturally seeks balance. A tilt of your hand and it will slip away. I would tell you to be careful, but you cannot help who you are. You will tilt your hand. As you have been heartbroken, so will you cause heartbreak in the near future."

"What?" Usagi shrieked again. "Screw you, we're outta here! Let's go!"

"Hey! You owe me 2000 yen," the woman yelled after them, but they had already fled.

* * *

><p>Whatever. Usagi was right. Screw you, lady. You are full of shit.<p>

With that in mind she smiled when Usagi shot her a concerned look.

"Why do you look like your dog just died? Don't worry about me. Ami-chan's my girlfriend, after all. You should know that I could not possibly break her heart." She tapped her chin. "Shouldn't you be worried about yourself?"

"Hey! Absolutely not! Mamo-chan is my one true love who'll never break my heart!" She puffed her chest up but deflated just as quickly. "Pretty sure he learned his lesson the first couple of times."

They shared a grin and soon after they spotted the others in a book store. While Rei and Minako were browsing the travel guides, Ami and Mamoru were by the Very Large and Serious Books section. Their girlfriends sneaked up on them and covered their eyes with their hands.

"Guess who?" they said, their voices mingling to strange effect.

A long stretch of silence followed before Mamoru finally cleared his throat. "Queen Beryl? Is that you?"

Usagi let go and gasped, sounding absolutely horrified. "Mako-chan, this is what that lady meant by heartbreak! My own Mamo-chan confused me for an old witch!"

Ami had grabbed Makoto's hands in her own, clasping their fingers together, and now turned to face her. "Heartbreak? What's this?"

Makoto drew back. "Apparently, I'm a heartbreaker." She flipped her hair over her shoulders and raised her chin. "I'm a dangerous girl to be with."

Ami slapped her hands over her mouth but utterly failed to contain her laughter.

"Whatever you say, Mako."

* * *

><p>Teenagers' footsteps lightened by liberation from the chains of the bondage of schoolwork.<p>

The familiar refrain of an ice cream truck as it slowed to a halt to let running children catch up.

The flap of a fan as it swung through the air and created a gentle breeze.

Usagi leaned back and blew Mamoru a kiss. He smiled back as he continued to wave the fan to cool her face.

Eating lunch on an outdoor patio was a brilliant idea – her brilliant idea – and she basked in her own genius. So going to that seer had, clearly, been a mistake. So what? Her friends looked lively and sounded happy, their tones excited and expressive as they rushed to get out words and let their voices peak upwards and flatten as required.

Yes, this was the true meaning of youth. Carefree summer days, the embodiment of –

Her train of thought suddenly careened to another track as she noticed a hot guy walk past them. Not that she was staring because he was hot – well, not _only _because of that, and Mamoru was much more attractive anyway, so – but because he seemed familiar.

She had seen that face before. Like on the cover of a magazine. Or on the cover of something, anyway. Or maybe on the Internet somewhere. On some website that someone had been showing her. Someone named…

"Rei-chan! Isn't that that keyboardist from that weird band you like?"

"What?"

Rei's head snapped upwards and she grinned when she spotted him. "It is!" She sounded thrilled but her smile fell a second later. "Wait, what do you mean _weird_ band, their single charted at number 94!"

"Ooh, maybe we can get his autograph!" Usagi leapt to her feet and pulled Rei up to hers as well. "Maybe you can get his phone number! Hey! Hey guy from weird band!"

"Shh, Usagi! No – wait, come back – damn it!"

And they were gone.

Minako cleared her throat.

"So anyway. What should we do today?"

The four remaining friends exchanged a look.

"Monkey park," Minako and Makoto immediately said, at the same as Mamoru and Ami decided on "Art galleries".

They exchanged another look.

* * *

><p>"Mako-chan, have you made a move on Ami yet?"<p>

Makoto felt her face heat up to an alarming degree.

"Minako! Don't ask me that here. There are kids around!"

Minako smiled. "They don't even care about our conversation. Anyway, I phrased that question so vaguely out of consideration for the children. I could have been much more straightforward."

Makoto winced slightly as she imagined just how Minako would have phrased it had they not been in G-rated locale. Her thoughts made her forget that Minako was still waiting for an answer until Minako's elbow found her ribs.

"Ouch! Um, no, I haven't." She shoved her hands into the pockets of her jeans and rocked on her heels. "I think I would screw it up."

Minako narrowed her eyes. "How would you screw it up?"

"I mean, I'm big and tall and pretty strong and she's so tiny and I know she's not fragile but sometimes I can almost picture her with bird bones...and then what if I do everything wrong?" Makoto shook her head. "She knows everything, and she's really high class, I'm sure she'd expect a lot, I mean she's at some fancy art exhibit right now and I…am staring at a monkey."

At the monkey park Minako and Makoto had pointedly ignored the DO NOT STARE AT THE MONKEYS sign and had engaged in a staring contest with two monkeys moments after their arrival. Their eyes were rimmed red at this point but mutual encouragement – "You're Kino Makoto, you can do anything!" "Your Aino Minako, your willpower is legendary!" – had made the contest stretch out for such a long time that they had attracted an audience of small children.

"Afraid of your own strength? Not high class enough?" Minako sounded amused. "It's not like you to doubt yourself."

Makoto shrugged. "Anyways, it's probably still too early in our relationship. We've only been going out for…"

They had been dating since the fifteenth of February, soon after exams had ended. It was now the fourteenth of August.

March. April. May. June. July. August.

Makoto let out a horrified gasp. In her moment of realization, she blinked.

The monkey leapt at her.

* * *

><p>Ami's mouth dropped open when she took in the sight of her girlfriend. Makoto appeared before her plus one black eye, a scratch across her cheek, and tears and dirt on her clothes, and minus a shoe, a hair elastic and dignity.<p>

"What happened to you?" she asked, rushing over to her. She pulled a small bottle of alcohol, a cotton swab, and an elastic from her purse. She tied up Makoto's hair before treating the scratch.

Minako beside her had not yet ceased to laugh hysterically. Makoto ignored her and gave Ami a small smile.

"I hope you can forgive me…" She trailed off and looked up at Ami with wide eyes and an apologetic grimace.

Ami sighed. "Oh no…"

"I got into another fight."

"Mako, why?" Ami asked, in a chiding tone offset by the concern coloring her voice.

Makoto could only ignore Minako for so long. She set her lips into a firm, thin line and glared at her friend. Minako caught her look and it only set her off into more peals of laughter. "Honestly, Ami, I would rather not talk about it."

It was too humiliating. On the one hand, she had won a fight against a monkey. On the other hand, she had gotten into a fight with a monkey.

Ami looked hesitant to let the topic drop, but Makoto looked determined not to say anything. Maybe she'd get her to tell her later. Part of the reason Makoto wouldn't tell her, she was sure, was because Usagi and Rei were standing behind her, Usagi looking worried and Rei looking suspicious.

"Hey, Rei-chan, where to next?" Minako wiggled her eyebrows. "I've got some planning to do."

Rei's look only grew more suspicious. "What kind of planning?"

"Just tell me," Minako insisted, hands clasped together.

Usagi bounded up next to Minako and likewise clasped her hands. "I want to know too! Please!"

Rei frowned. "Fine, but nobody complain. We're going to Ise."

As she had expected the complaints started up immediately, with Minako and Usagi wanting to go to a hipper city, and Ami and Mamoru questioning the wisdom of making such a detour. To Rei's great surprise, even Makoto joined Minako and Usagi's side and pressed to skip straight to Kobe.

"This is my van, we're going to my place in Kagoshima, and I have been driving the whole time, and am supplying most of the gas money." She crossed her arms and drew herself up to her full height. "I can't pass up this opportunity to see the Grand Shrine. We're going to Ise next."

"Mmhmm, sure. By the way, what happened with that guy from the weird band?" Minako needled.

Rei blushed bright red and this time Usagi set off into hysterical laughter. Rei and Makoto exchanged understanding looks. Usagi and Minako were practically twins and Rei and Makoto had both agreed long enough that it was a mystery how two of the best people on Earth could also be two of the most irritating.

"Nothing. Shut up! Don't you dare tell her – fine. You two can make fun of me as much as you want, we're going to Ise no matter what!"

* * *

><p>Of course, for reasons of both friendship and health and safety, everyone eventually gave in to Rei's desire to visit the Ise Grand Shrine.<p>

Makoto rolled over and breathed in the scent of her hotel-clean pillow. The problem was that there were only two things to do in Ise: visit the Grand Shrine and visit the National Park. In the right circumstances both of these could be romantic but neither screamed 'six month anniversary'.

When it came to romance Makoto had many ideas, having daydreamed so often about what it would be like to have a boyfriend. She had imagined so many different scenarios for every occasion, be it anniversary, birthday, or holiday. They'd stay in for a night and cook together and have a nice meal and hold each other close. They'd go horseback riding on the beach at sunset. They'd share a bottle of champagne and make love on a bed of rose petals.

None of these seemed good enough now. Ami deserved something far better than that. Those scenarios seemed trite to her now and with all those romance novels she read Makoto was sure they would seem even less imaginative to Ami.

_You will tilt your hand_.

Not that she believed that stupid seer, but it seemed likely that she was going to screw up their six month anniversary and that would be the end of that. There was no way. She refused to allow it. She would come up with the best and most brilliant anniversary plan in the very few hours that remained and Ami would get everything she deserved.

But first, she had to clear the air.

She and Ami had not had the chance to talk at length privately since the previous night. Now they were back in the hotel room, on those joined beds, Makoto on one side, Ami on the other. She pulled away from the pillow she had buried her head in and looked at her girlfriend. Ami's eyes were closed and her she breathed in a soft, steady, and slow pattern, yet somehow Makoto could tell that Ami was still awake.

She rubbed her hands together nervously.

"Hey, Ami."

"Yes, Makoto?"

"So, about last night," she started, trying not to stammer and failing miserably. She stopped speaking and waited for Ami to acknowledge her in some way, but Ami remained silent. "Last night," she said again, but she could not think of a way to continue.

"We might have gone a little far," Ami said. She rolled over and met Makoto's eyes. "But I enjoyed it." She smiled impishly and couldn't help the blush rising on her face. "I wouldn't mind a repeat."

It was all Makoto needed to hear. Her lips curled into a smile. She crawled across the bed until she reached Ami and then wrapped her arms around her. She lowered her lips until they were skimming the shell of Ami's ear. "You're beautiful," she said.

"You're gorgeous."

They kissed hotly, mouths open, tongues languidly rubbing against each other. In the summer heat their pajamas consisted of nothing but thin tank tops and short shorts. The sensation of skin against skin and the thought that there was very little separating their more intimate places made Makoto dizzy. She was forced to pull away to catch her breath but Ami followed her upward, lips never quite separating as they shared heavy breaths. They both gasped as their legs tangled together.

The feeling overwhelmed her; she felt her heart rate go out of control, it was beating embarrassingly fast, she wanted to stop and soak it in but she wanted more at the same time. Ami finally pulled away only to slide down to her jaw line, trailing her lips down the line of her arched neck until she reached the notch between her collarbones.

She stopped abruptly when she realized Makoto was shaking. She pulled herself upwards again and stroked Makoto's arms until she finally stopped shivering and her heart rate had returned to a healthy range.

"What's wrong?"

"Sorry," she mumbled, failing not to sound too miserable. She had gotten scared, even though this trip was the perfect opportunity. They would have been each other's firsts, they would have both exposed their hearts entirely, and there were so many things that could go wrong.

Ami had yet to stop looking at her, waiting for her to expand on her non-answer.

Well, what was the point of being in a relationship with someone if you couldn't be honest?

"Do you remember earlier, when we were at that book store, and I said I was a heartbreaker?"

Ami nodded and tamped down the impulse to plot revenge against that seer as Makoto recounted what she had told her and Usagi. Instead she focused her immediate attention on the despair that tinged Makoto's voice.

She shook her head. "How could you possibly break my heart?" The idea seemed as ridiculous to her now as it had at the book store.

"I could…run away with someone else," Makoto hazarded.

Ami's eyebrows shot up. "Would you?" she asked, with great skepticism.

"Of course not," Makoto immediately replied. Ami smiled. Makoto couldn't help but smile back. "Okay, I get your point. But I could…run over your dog."

"You don't drive. And I don't have a dog." Ami paused. She was more of a cat person really. The dog person was… "And you'd probably be even more heartbroken."

Makoto frowned. "Well she said I treasure things too much. So I could…love you too much?"

Ami felt her heart clench and she realized that Makoto had no idea how adorable she was being at the moment. But she felt in her bones that she had to think carefully and respond exactly right. This was a crucial moment.

None of us would be friends with Usagi if we believed that there was such a thing as too much love. A person who was raised by a too-busy single parent cannot get too much love. I'm just lucky to be treasured and love by you at all.

Too broad, too cause-and-effect, too self-deprecating.

"I love you more and more each day that goes by," Ami said.

Makoto nodded. "Me too."

"How much do you love me right now?" Ami asked, her tone teasing.

"A lot," Makoto said.

"But, how much? Give me a number."

Makoto paused. As if it was quantifiable. What number could she possibly give? 100%? That wasn't quite right. How about… "Infinity."

"So what's infinity plus one?"

Makoto grinned. She had the only girlfriend in the world who would bring up math while in bed together on a trip meant to be a break from school. "Infinity plus one is…infinity," she said, dredging up some memory from a math lesson she had half paid attention to.

Makoto waited for Ami to say something else. She said nothing and the silence stretched out until realization dawned on Makoto. "Oh."

"Exactly."

* * *

><p><em>DAY THREE<em>

Today was their anniversary.

Ami had drifted off to sleep first and Makoto had spent a long hour awake, thinking about what she could to celebrate it. She finally settled on an idea. It was sappy and cheesy and a little over the top but what if it was? She had always wanted to experience romance like it was in the movies and she'd make sure she and Ami could share such an experience.

Makoto's plan required her to wake up very early in the morning and lurk around the city until the first florist opened up. She bought a dozen flowers and quickly returned to the hotel. She reached her room just in time to catch Ami as she was waking. When she had scrubbed the morning dust away from her eyes Makoto greeted her with a swift kiss and a bouquet of pink carnations. A tag attached to a stem by a small string read "TO MY FIRST AND ONLY LOVE".

"Happy anniversary," Makoto said.

"Thank you," Ami said, bashful in the morning light.

The trip to Ise only took two hours. After brunch they headed directly to the shrine. The Ise Grand Shrine was surrounded by the natural beauty of the national park and Makoto realized that she had underestimated this place. Away from large cities she breathed in fresh, clean air for the first time in months. A feeling of calm lay over the shrine complex like a warm blanket on a chilly night. She closed her eyes and thought she might very well fall asleep standing, with the warmth of the sun beaming down on her as she stood in the middle of a veranda.

As nice as the shrine was in the daylight, as sunset approached the place grew even more beautiful when long shadows were cast to cover certain corners in darkness. Makoto pulled Ami away from the group toward one such isolated corner. They had been exchanging sappy smiles and longing glances all day and they had no patience to wait longer. Makoto dropped her lips onto the shorter girl's and as their kiss intensified she ran hot and cold when she heard Ami moan. She pulled away and felt her desire spiral higher when she saw how swollen Ami's lips had gotten, how she had flushed red, how her eyelashes were lowered.

The shrine and the park were amazing but there was little that could compare to the sight before her. "You're so pretty," she whispered. Ami smiled and trailed her fingers upward until they were buried in Makoto's hair. She pulled her back down and soon their lips met again. They were so caught up in each other that they didn't notice footsteps approaching, didn't notice Rei's death glare until she smacked Makoto's head with a rolled up travel guide.

"Ouch!"

"I can't believe this!" Rei's voice, high, strained, and LOUD, rang through her ears. "You're desecrating the shrine! Stop, you fornicators!"

"Fornicators!" Ami repeated, incredulous. Makoto wasn't really sure what that meant, but it sounded bad. "We haven't yet!"

"What! Ugh! I don't care, I don't need to know! Go carry on _anywhere_ _else_ except this shrine!"

She unceremoniously shoved them away from their secluded corner and toward the rest of the group, who looked ready to depart. As they rejoined the others Makoto leaned toward Ami.

"What's a fornicator?" Makoto asked in a whisper.

Ami covered her face with her hands, hoping to hide her blush, to no avail. "Nothing. Just Rei being her usual indelicate self."

Makoto wasn't really satisfied with this answer but she didn't care too much. She grinned as she thought of what awaited them this evening.

There weren't any cooking facilities around but she had settled for second-best by ordering in a fancy catered dinner – and at least she wouldn't have to clean, afterward – and she had paid the hotelier to have their bedroom arranged with candles on every surface and petals of red and pink roses scattered on the bed and across the floor.

Pink, for the friendship that formed the base of their love, red.

She hopped in place. She could hardly wait to get back. She wouldn't freak out this time, and she suspected that Ami had been ready long ago. Words never seemed like enough and now, finally…

She had been walking behind Minako as they walked toward their hotel. She came to a sudden stop as she crashed into her. "Ouch! Minako!"

"Sorry," she said, "Just…Ami-chan. You're unbelievable."

The girls gathered around the magazine Minako held in her hands. There in the middle of the magazine between an article about six mascaras for the summer and a back-to-school recipe for lunch was an ad that read, in plain black letters:

KINO MAKOTO,

HAPPY SIX MONTH ANNIVERSARY

LOVE,

MIZUNO AMI

Makoto and Ami both blushed bright red as their friends looked at them with huge smiles on their faces.

"Kami-sama…Ami-chan, I really did not think you had this in you."

"It's your anniversary?! Why didn't you tell me?! Happy anniversary!"

"Congratulations, you two."

Her friends' comments flew right past Makoto as she turned toward her girlfriend. "Ami…I…" She was left utterly speechless. Ami was trying hard to fight off a smile but couldn't help the grin that broke out.

"This is truly excellent timing. Look up."

Makoto tore her eyes away from Ami's and looked at the sky just in time to see a blimp pass by. The blimp trailed a banner behind it. There wasn't as much space on the blimp as there was on the magazine but their names side by side with a heart in between was a clear enough message.

"How did you…" How did you pull this off? How did you afford this? How did you know that I've always wanted something like this to happen to me?

"First of all, I am very aware of the fact that you're an incurable romantic." Ami smiled. "And also, I remember what you said when we first started going out."

Makoto searched her memory and her eyes widened when she realized that Ami had remembered something she hadn't even thought about again until this moment.

* * *

><p>AN: As always, thank you so much <strong>Gear001<strong>. **Neanda**, no, it was just an especially incompetent cat ;P **Lady Noel, JustFineEnough, CreativeThinker10, **and **serena**, thank you!


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